


Emergency Contact

by TheVagabondBoy



Series: Shoot the Sunshine into My Veins [10]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Dialogue Heavy, Episode: S1e04 Royal Dragon, Frank Blames Himself, Frank Castle needs a hug, Frank doing what hes told for once in his fucking life, Frank listening to what matt says for once in his fucking life, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Loss, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Self-Hatred, Set during S1 of Defenders, Spoilers, Spoilers For The Defenders, and after S2 of Daredevil, and before S1 of TPS, construction worker Frank
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:22:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16418879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVagabondBoy/pseuds/TheVagabondBoy
Summary: The world is falling apart again.All Matt cares about is that Frank is safe.All Frank cares about is that Matt is safe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UmiAzuma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmiAzuma/gifts).



> writing in progress, hopefully done pretty soon tho but idk
> 
> Chapter One is set during 'The Defenders' episode four: Royal Dragon

Frank removed his hard hat, only for a moment so he could wipe the sweat from his brow. He replaced it quickly, though. He really wasn’t in the mood to get chewed out by the foreman today.

His phone rang in his pocket. He fished it out hastily, knowing it had to be Matt calling. Only he and Karen had the number, and Karen rarely called after six PM and it was now currently...shit, late as hell. Hm, Frank was getting off his shift soon too, it looked like.

He flipped the phone open, putting it to his ear.

“Hey, can you talk?” Matt asked raptly.

“Gimme a sec.”

Frank lowered the phone. He jogged over to where he could see his supervisor talking to a few other guys.

“I’m takin’ my break.” Frank told the supervisor, who nodded and waved him away.

Frank hurried away to a quieter corner of the lot they were cleaning up. Those tremors caused a whole lot of damage.

“Hey.” he said into the phone when he was finally alone. “What’s up? Somethin’ goin’ on?”

Matt sighed. Frank could hear low chatter in the background, voices he didn’t recognize. They sounded kind of like they were arguing but Frank couldn’t make out what they were fighting  _ about. _

“Yeah. It’s... It’s Daredevil.”

Frank’s stomach dropped. His heart stuttered.

He knew Matt had been having a hard time with keeping off the streets, but Frank had been helping with, just like Matt had been helping him keep away from the Punisher. They had been anchoring each other in reality, keeping each other sane and on the right path.

“Okay. Uh... Wh-What’s goin’ on?”

“It’s... You remember what I told you about the Hand?”

“Yeah. Secret ancient organization hell-bent on world-domination, ain’t easy to forget. Is it them?”

“Yeah.”

*

Matt could feel the others watch him as he spoke with Frank. He tried to keep his voice low, make sure they didn’t hear.

“Look, this is gonna be dangerous, we both know that. But I’m with some people and I’m pretty sure I can trust them, and we’re gonna figure this out. You need to leave, though. Take some time off work. Go home. Pack. Leave.  _ Please. _ Don’t stay in the city.”

“Matt, I can-“

_ “No.” _ Matt interrupted.

He couldn’t let Frank get involved in this. He might know about the Hand,  _ loosely, _ but he had no idea what kind of force they were to be reckoned with. Matt couldn’t let Frank get involved with them, let him end up on their kill list.

“We talked about this. This is  _ my _ fight. I stay out of  _ your _ fights, you stay out of  _ my _ fights. That’s what we said. So just... Just  _ please, _ Frank. Just trust me.”

*

Frank sighed. He rubbed at his eyes.

Fuck...

He wanted to  _ help _ Matt with all this batshit crazy bull. Frank didn’t understand shit about it, but he wanted to help out in any way he could.

But they had promised each other, and they had sworn to trust each other.

This went against everything in Frank’s head and his gut, but...

“Okay. Okay, I’ll... I’ll leave the city. Head west for a while.”

“I’ll call as often as I can. Keep you updated.”

“If you need help, you call. If  _ anythin’ _ happens, you call. If you  _ get hurt? _ You fucking call and I’ll be there. Okay?”

“Okay. I promise.”

*

The others were quiet, listening as best they could to Matt’s conversation. Matt sighed.

“I love you.”

“You too.” Frank replied, his tone so soft and warm.

Matt could  _ feel _ the love, even if Frank couldn’t  _ say _ it.

“Be safe. We’ll figure this out. We’ll take care of it.”

Frank hummed. “Yeah. You be safe too. Watch your back, sunshine. Call as often as you can, okay? Don’t care what time it is. If you got a minute to spare,  _ you call me.” _

Matt gave a small smile. “I promise. I love you. God, I love you so much.”

*

“I-“

Frank wanted to make the words.

They seemed to be glued to his tongue, though, incapable of passing his lips. They were there. He could feel them creeping up onto the tip of his tongue, making his lips tingle with the  _ want _ to say them, but they couldn’t escape him, no matter how badly he wanted them to.

“It’s okay.” Matt said softly. “I know.”

“Yeah...”

“Okay. Um. I... I should get back to things here. And you need to get going. So... Talk to you soon?”

“Yeah. Talk soon.”

They lingered for some moments, only listening to each other breathe. Frank’s stomach as twisting and turning. He wanted so badly to go to Matt, to help, to fight, to protect.

But he had made a promise. He had promised Matt. They had promised each other.

Neither of them wanted this, but it was thrust upon them, so they had to deal with it.

When they at long last ended the call, Frank hurried back to see his supervisor. He pulled the man away from the group of guys coming in to fill out the night shift. He was upset when Frank said he had to take a few weeks vacation, so Frank threatened to quit. The supervisor knew just as well as Frank did that Frank was one of the best guys the company had, so he was given two weeks of unpaid vacation, which was more than enough for Frank. He hoped he wouldn’t need the full two weeks.

He hurried home.

He packed a bag quickly and got on the first train out of the city.

Frank hadn’t prayed in long damn time, but as he sat on the train, clutching his phone and hoping Matt would call again, he prayed to God that Matt would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter takes place during Episode 5: Take Shelter, and Episode 7: Fish In The Jailhouse, of the Defenders

“Frank? Are you there, Frank?”

Frank’s heart raced as he answered the phone. Matt sounded upset, angry,  _ scared and worried. _ It made Frank’s stomach turn. He hated hearing Matt like that.

“’M right here, sunshine, right here. I’m okay, I’m all good. What’s goin’ on?”

The small speaker in the phone crackled as Matt sighed with relief.

“I just... There was... _ a guy. _ He said some stuff. And I... I got worried.”

Frank sat down on the foot of his motel bed. The room was quiet around him.

“I’m okay. I’m in Jersey. Down in Princeton.” he said. “Sittin’ in a fuckin’ motel room, and you’re out there, riskin’ your ass...”

“Frank, listen to me.  _ Do not come back. _ You hear me?”

“Matt-“

“You made a promise to me, Frank Castle, and you better goddamn keep it.”

Fuck, the tears stung Frank’s eyes. He felt  _ so fucking useless _ like this, just sitting around and waiting while Matt was out there, fighting for his fucking life.

“I might’ve broken  _ my _ promise and put on the mask again, but please.  _ Please, Frank. _ Please... Just do what I’m telling you. I couldn’t... I couldn’t  _ live _ with myself if I- if you-... If you got hurt,  _ or killed, _ fighting  _ my _ fights.”

Frank sighed. He rubbed at his eyes, drying away unshed tears.

“I’m on my way to the Bulletin offices to get Karen somewhere safe too, and I’m gonna talk to Foggy. Everyone I know needs to be as far away from me as possible. Okay? You  _ can’t _ be here.  _ You can’t.” _

Again, Frank fought down his every instinct, which were all yelling at him to grab his shit, steal a car, and get back to the city as fast as he could.

But he loved Matt too much. Matt was asking him,  _ pleading with him, _ to stay away.

So Frank would stay away.

“Okay. I won’t. I’ll... I’ll stay away.”

Matt sighed again, the relief so audible.

“I... I have to tell you. There’s... You remember Elektra? The woman I told you about?”

“Yeah? She... She died, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. But she’s... I don’t know how, and don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t, but  _ she’s back. _ She’s alive. Somehow. But she’s  _ different. _ It’s her  _ body, _ but...her mind. It’s not her mind.”

“I’m sorry, sunshine...”

Frank knew how much Matt had loved Elektra, and  _ still _ loved her, like Frank still loved Maria. It was the kind of love that always lingered, even if they thought they had managed to move on.

Hearing that this Elektra woman was back, even if just in body but not in mind... Frank couldn’t imagine how difficult that was for Matt.

“It hurts, Frank.” Matt whispered into the phone.

Frank’s eyes fell closed, sympathy pains aching through his chest.

“I know, sunshine.”

*

“God, we had to... We had to fight Danny. One of the guys I’m workin’ with, you remember?”

“Yeah. The rich kid.”

“Everything just...turned on its head in no time and we had to fight Danny, and...  _ Fuck. _ Stick... Stick died.”

“I know you didn’t like that old fuck, but... ‘M sorry you had to go through all that. Right in the middle o’ this shit and all.”

“Yeah... We thought we had some  _ semblance _ of control over the situation and then... Everything went to shit again. I woke up in a police station and they have Danny, and I’m just so... I’m so confused. And scared. I-... Frank, I don’t know what the hell I’m doin’ here. I’m lost. Feels like I’m wearing earplugs and soundproof headphones, or something. I’m just...stumbling through a maze and I don’t know where I am or where I’m going.”

“I don’t know what to say, sunshine. But I’m here. If you’re lost, you know I’ll guide ya.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter takes place during Episode 8: The Defenders

“I think this is it, Frank. The... The final stand, or whatever. Midland Circle. That’s it. We’re taking the fight to the Hand.”

Frank paced in his motel room.

“You got a plan? A good one?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“And you got your lil’  _ team _ all together again?”

“As good as it’ll get, I’m guessing.”

“You watch your fuckin’ back, a’right, Matt? Don’t do nothin’ stupid, you got it? Don’t make me come drag your ass outta trouble, a’right?”

Matt actually managed to chuckle at that, a soft and fond little laugh.

“I promise. I’ll be careful. And I’ll call as soon as it’s over.”

“You better.”

_ “I will. _ ”

*

Frank paced and paced and paced.

The TV was on, the news channel playing loudly.

Every minute there were no reports on this  _ Midland Circle _ place, was a good minute. As long as there were no reports, Frank could hope and wish and pray that everything was  _ fine, _ everything was going  _ perfectly fine, _ Matt was  _ totally fine. _

He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink, could barely breathe.

God, he couldn’t fucking believe he stayed in Jersey and let Matt go into this shit alone with a bunch of  _ strangers. _ Frank couldn’t believe what a fucking idiot he was for letting Matt talk him into this.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,  _ fuck. _

He hated this so bad. He hated it beyond words. His insides twisted and knotted, it felt like he was going to throw up. There was nothing in his stomach, it’d just be acid and bile, burning him worse than the worry was doing.

_ ”The situation at Midland Circle is-“ _

Frank froze. The news anchor’s voice cut through him.

He ran to the TV, all but falling to his knees before it, staring at the screen.

What happened? God, what happened?

A blurry, unfocused clip played, a jerky video shot on a phone.

The building,  _ Midland Circle... _

It folded like a house of card, crumbling to the ground. It collapsed in on itself.

Frank’s stomach fell through the floor.

Matt was in there. Matt was in the building. Matt  _ had _ to have gotten out. He had to. He had to be alive and in one piece and just completely okay.

He stared at the screen as he fumbled to find his phone in his pocket. He dialled Matt’s number blindly.

Straight to voicemail.

It felt like a knife to the chest. Like a bullet to the fucking head, and he knew what that felt like from experience.

He called a hundred times over. Two hundred. Three hundred. A thousand times. Matt had to answer.  _ He had to answer. _

He paced again, the news playing and the phone to his ear. Hours passed. Frank barely noticed. He just needed Matt to answer his fucking phone.

Someone said Matt’s name on TV. He was a little famous now, after that winning that big settlement a couple days ago, people wanted to know more about him. ‘A source’ had told the reporter Matt had been at Midland Circle. The reporter said they had been unable to reach Matt after the collapse. No one could find him. The rescue operations were still on-going but given that he hadn’t been found in the twelve long hours since the collapse, it was most likely that Matt had been killed in the accident.

Frank turned off the TV.

He sat down on the foot of the bed.

He was crying. Sobbing. Bawling.

Again.

It happened again.

Frank failed. Again, Frank couldn’t protect the ones he loved. 

He was a failure.  _ A failure. _

What was wrong with him? How could he let this happen again? How could he have let this happen  _ one more time? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so.......... uh......... sorry........
> 
> and im planning on writing follow-ups to this, involving tps season one and daredevil season 3, but lord knows when thats gonna get written/posted


End file.
